WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — The 2026 Neil Armstrong Space Prize was announced Tuesday, April 21, at Purdue University, heralding the Falcon 9 Booster Landing Team as the inaugural winner of the Neil Armstrong Space Prize for cutting-edge work on the Falcon 9 reusable two-stage rocket system.
The team is the first recipient of the international prize recognizing excellence over the past 10 years in space discovery, innovation and human achievement, according to a news release.
The five-member team was nominated for their work in developing the Falcon 9 vertical landing capability, fundamentally changing the launch vehicle landscape. The SpaceX recipients are:
The selection of the research team for the honor was announced during an event in the Herman and Heddy Kurz Atrium at Purdue’s Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering. Attendees watched via livestream as the Neil Armstrong Space Prize recipients were surprised by the news of receiving the award. Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator, and other leaders participated.
“Purdue alumnus Neil Armstrong took that small step and giant leap on the face of the moon in 1969,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “Now as the dawn of space economy and the new frontier of human space exploration inspire us all, the Neil Armstrong Space Prize will recognize the most impactful steps and leaps each year.”
The inaugural Neil Armstrong Space Prize will be formally awarded in September during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., aligning with the America250 celebration and connecting Purdue’s space leadership with this historic national milestone.
The eponymous award honors aerospace pioneer and Purdue graduate Neil Armstrong (BS aeronautical engineering ’55, honorary doctorate ’70), who led the team of three American astronauts who were the first to land on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Dan Dumbacher, chair of the Neil Armstrong Space Prize selection committee, said Falcon 9 last year had 164 launches with one booster being used more than 30 times.
“The reusability resulting from vertical landing has been key in reducing the cost of launching payloads,” Dumbacher said in the release. “This team made it happen.”
Nominations received in 2025 were extensively reviewed and narrowed down to six finalists in January. A final nominee recommendation was passed along to Chiang and Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, in March.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: SpaceX Falcon 9 team wins Armstrong Space Prize for reusable rocket work
Reporting by Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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